Mrs McINTOSH (Lindsay) (17:13): Please stay safe. These are the words Cumberland's own coordinator, Inspector Paul McGrath, said to his team earlier this year in a pre-departure briefing that I proudly also attended in Regentville. The Cumberland Zone RFS strike teams had already been out 24/7, fighting fires across the whole of summer, battling through intense exhaustion and fatigue. Two of their crew, Geoffrey Keaton and Andrew O'Dwyer from Horsley Park RFS, sadly, lost their lives. These selfless volunteers, including from my electorate of Lindsay, were again asked to defend the homes and lives of their neighbours and were departing for Cooma. I will never forget the inspector's parting words and the feeling in the room that day—all in together, like family. I often say that Lindsay is full to the brim and overflowing with community spirit, and it has not been truer than in our local RFS response to this terrible fire season. In Lindsay there are seven RFS brigades, and I would like to commend Paul McGrath for his tireless work and tremendous commitment to his crews. I spoke with Paul the morning after the tragic events of Horsley Park, and the only thing on his mind was the welfare of his crews. Despite losing two of his team, as tightly knit as a family, the crews and Paul did not leave their posts; they were out again within two days, ensuring the safety of fire-affected communities across the state, and ensuring these communities were in the most capable hands. Paul was also consoling his grief-stricken team. Many of us will have a personal connection with someone who has been affected by a fire. People have lost their homes, properties, livestock, pets, belongings. Some have made the ultimate sacrifice. Many of us will have a family member or friend who is part of their local Rural Fire Service, like the captain of the Orchard Hills Rural Fire Brigade, Greg Speed, who has spent 26 years with the brigade and has been captain for 17. He has been up and down the New South Wales coast and inland, where the fires have been at their fiercest. Greg has been rightly recognised with an Order of Australia medal for his extraordinary service, and I'm so proud that he is a person that is a resident of the community of Lindsay. Our communities are coming together to support our neighbours in the worst of times. In towns like Clarence and Dargan, which were once thriving, families are now trying to rebuild from complete devastation. Over Christmas, I met with Monica, who lost everything in the fires. Despite this, she came out to help others by unloading home kits that I delivered to Dargan and Clarence with the RFS. Monica, her husband and four other members of their RFS crew lost their homes in the fire while they were out trying to protect their community. Monica took me to see what remained of her home. I have stood in the remains of too many fire-devastated homes. It is surreal, it is emotional, and it is so very hard. Just over two years ago, my parents lost our family home of 40 years to fire, as well as every single material belonging they owned, including many of the personal items I grew up with. But we didn't lose my parents, because our families and friends and their love for each other got them through. I worry for older people in our communities who have lost their homes in these fires. It is so hard to rebuild when the home you raised your family in is completely gone. It takes part of your spirit. In 2013, my brother and sister-in-law and their family lost their home to the bushfires that went through the Blue Mountains. The fire came so fast that my sister-in-law barely had time to put shoes on her feet and get out of the house with my niece, who was a toddler at the time. Once again, my family had to rebuild and find the strength and resilience to get through this painful and traumatic time, just as many families are doing across our country now. With my own experience of having lost family homes to fires, I understand how incredibly painful this is. I also know that part of the rebuilding process starts with a community wrapping their arms around you, and this is exactly what my community of Lindsay has done. Donations are coming into my office at fast speed for community care kits. These are home kits filled with new items that people I know and people I've spoken to who have lost homes know are needed in the first few weeks after a fire—new items of linen, towels and things that will help people get through those days, including stationery for kids. We're building back-to-school packs for children, to get them ready to go back to school, with stationery, pens, pencils and all those things that kids need to start their school year. Members from across our community have gone out of their way to collect these items. I thank everyone in the community of Lindsay and beyond who has taken part. After we delivered the first kits to Clarence and Dargan I received this message from a Clarence resident: Dear Melissa, On Saturday I attended the meeting at Clarence fire shed and was given a box of wonderful items which will help me on my journey back to normal. My house was burnt to the ground on 21st December, not a thing remained. To now have a kettle, toaster, pegs and many more essential items is just wonderful. Knowing that people care about my community has been such an incredible boost to me and at times it is totally overwhelming. The incredible effect of regaining items as simple as a toaster and a kettle demonstrates just how devastating it is to lose everything you own in a fire. I thank everyone who has contributed to these kits. In conclusion I'd like to talk about volunteerism in Australia and my community of Lindsay, where it is so strong. In January I visited the crew of Llandilo RFS, who told me about their time on the fireground this season, describing the ferocity of the fires and the extent of the toll on the crews. The captain of the Llandilo RFS, Rick Burns, described the feeling of realising on the way to fight the blaze that both his wife and daughter were on the same truck as him. He made the decision to split the family onto different trucks. They feared the worse. They were going out into difficult conditions. They knew they were doing this. It was unprecedented. But they still went. Our local volunteers from Llandilo, Regentville, Mulgoa, Londonderry, Castlereagh, Berkshire Park and Orchard Hills have been answering the call to help our fellow Australians in need. I've asked the RFS brigades what they need. The response is loud and consistent, 'We need more rain and we need more young volunteers.' I'm very proud that there is a school in the community of Lindsay that is helping with just that. Led by teacher Peter Horan, St Paul's Grammar School has a cadetship program that is linked to the RFS. Students train in basic firefighting techniques and the use of equipment, trucks and portable pumps. They are building the future volunteers in this school. I encourage more schools across our nation to have a program like this. Australia pulls together in tough times and, despite the recent devastation and tragedy, I'm extremely proud to represent our community in this time of overwhelming selflessness and generosity. As the Prime Minister reiterated this morning, what unites us is greater than what divides us. I'd like to finally conclude with a verse from a hymn that was sung this morning at our church service prior to parliament resuming. It was a memorial hymn after the fires in Victoria. The first verse is: Now thank we all our God for lives beloved and cherished, the brave who faced the flames, the young and old who perished, for those who fight the fires that sear our country's soul, for all who give relief to comfort and make whole.